A CLOSE MATCH

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 24, 28 July 1934, Page 20

A CLOSE MATCH

BREWS AND PADGHAM

~ S3^ ne7 Brews, of Durban, winner of the French Open and runner-up in the British Open, says "an English writer, is a sturdy golfer, master of short approaches, and a good putter. Brews is actually a Londoner. He was born at Blackheath 35 years ago, when his father was professional at the Royal Blackheath Club, the oldest golf club in the world. He- played his earliest golf as assistant to his brother, at a club m South Africa, returned to England, was professional in Gloucestershire between 1919 and 1924, and then went back to South Africa to take up' professional duties with the Durban Golf Club. Brews had a strikingly rough passage in the semi-final of'"'the Yorkshire "Evening News" tournament, which was. fought out in semidarkness, with thunder crashing and vivid lightning. Brews beat J. Bond, West Lancashire Ladies, by 3 and 2 Alfred Padgham won the other seminna.l at the eighteenth from Angel de la Torre, Madrid. '-

In the final, Brews narrowly missed victory, taking Padgham to the thirtyseventh. Refusing to bo outdriven by ,the long-Hitting Padgham, one of the longest drivers in England, Brews nearly matched Padgham's fine iron playi and for-tho-.greater- part of the match had the best of it round the greens Without holding more than two or three long putts Brews was always placing chip shots and his approach putts so_ near to the hole that he could not miss the next. Padgham was unable to make the business of holing out quit© so simple. He lost the first hole of the match and, except for a brief period when- he drew level, was either one or two holes down. At luncheon Brews was 1 up; each player having gone round in .71—three strokes below the scratch score.

Brews increased his lead to 2 at the first hole in the afternoon, but was brought back to air square at the fourth, and for the first time in \the game, was 1 down at the sixth, I having made the raro error of missing a putt of sft. That was the only' time Padgham held the lead. The game came- to the thirty-fifth hole all square. Here Brews allowed a glorious chance to slip away. Padgham's drive struck a tree and he was short oil the green in 2, but Brews, faced with one of the little approach shots which he had played so well, left .it short, was short again with his putt, and Padsham halved a hole of 360 yards in 5. It seemed certain Padgham would be beaten when' at the thirty-sixth hn pulled his drive among.the spectators, and cut his next shot into a bunker.

Again Brews was on the green in 2, but Padgham recovered to within five yards of the pin and holed a brave putt for a- half.

Having narrowly escaped Padgham, a great fighter, seized his opportunity at the thirty-seventh. He laid a pitch and ran dead. Brews left himself Bft short: with a similar shot; failed with the putt, and was beaten.

Misses. Kay and Gaisford, playing from scratch, were beaten in the third round of the Bystander Ladies' Scottish Foursomes Tournament in heavy rain at North Berwick by Miss Jessie Anderson, the girl champion,^ and her sister, Miss Isa Anderson, who played off a joint handicap of 23. The New Zealanders won their first match against Miss J. Mc.Cullbch and Miss Pearcy by 5 and 3, conceding two strokes. Misses Kay. and Gaisford, who were the back markers" in the tournament, lost two of the first three holes in their second match to Miss E. H. Sawers and Miss N. Sawers (Longniddry), but recovered well; and after turning 2 up, won 5 and 4. The Anderson sisters gained a notable victory ■in the second round over Miss Enid Wilson and Mrs. H. Percy.